


My Mystery Dungeon Academia

by Phantos



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: All Earth countries and Pokemon regions exist, All Might is a Buzzwole, Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Bakugou is a Magmar, Canon rewrite with Pokemon characters and Mystery Dungeon aspects, Crossover, I still haven't determined who class 1-B can be yet but I am working on my critera, It took me two days to determine major character's 'mon form, Izuku is a Riolu, MHA/PMD crossover, Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk, OFA is the only 'quirk', One For All is the Ultra Beasts, U.A. is a University (My Hero Academia)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantos/pseuds/Phantos
Summary: In the wonderful world of Pokemon, lives thrive on adventure, exploration and heroism.In the not-so-wonderful world of Midoriya Izuku, there's a year away before he's old enough to apply for a scholarship at U.A. University, the Japanese academy famous for ushering the last five generations of heroes, Adventure Teams and Rescue Teams. He's still a Riolu nowhere close to evolving and carrying a pitiful move set to his name for the field of heroism.Lucky for him, he finds his strength and then some. It's the 'then some' that worries him.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 0: The Personality Test

He felt warm. He didn’t know why. He couldn’t see why. The only thing he could see was the warm yellow light. The only thing he could hear was a whistling tune of wind. At least until a voice of silk bounced around him.

Welcome!

_Hi?_

This is the portal that leads to a new world!

_A new world? Am I going somewhere?_

But before I can let you through, I have several questions for you. I want you to answer them sincerely.

_Some questions? Like a test? I’m good at tests._

Are you ready?

_I’ll do my best._

Ok...let the interview begin!

A harp strung in the light, the tune sending him shivers while a flute whispered in his ears and massaged his heart. Bells rung powerful around him, rippling out like droplets on a lake. Strings hummed up and down his arms, rubbing against his skin and easing his muscles to rest.

How quickly do you respond to a text?

_Usually right away. Iida’s a lot more punctual about quick replies than I am, but I try not to leave my friends on read. Sometimes I’ll get messages like what I sent to my friends when I was fighting Stain, and I react more to moving than I do to typing and letting a message give my friends away. But more often than not, it’s the instant I see the message, I reply to it._

Are you often late for school or meetings?

_Yes, more than I would like to admit. I think it’s something I picked up from Toshi. I’ll spend too much time on patrol responding to every call for help I hear. Does hurt my timetable missing meetings by an hour at the latest._

Do you think you are cool? Be honest.

_I try to be. This feels like a personal attack. Or something Denki would say. But I try to be someone the kids and other trainees actually look up to, someone inspiring like All-Might was to me. Not ‘bad boy’ cool but ideal cool._

It's the summer festival! Do you like carnivals?

_God, I haven’t been to one of those in a few years, have I? I think the last one I went to was ten year ago? There was a festival in Russia, just on its European border that I took my friends to and it was honestly some of the most fun I’ve had in years. Festival rides and attractions just aren’t like resorts, they are something special I barely get to visit_.

Do you like groan-inducing puns?

_Oh god, don’t even start. They are, honestly, the most painful experience I’ve ever gone through and my arm was once connected to my shoulder by four veins. Aizawa never grew out of them even after we graduated; he was the worst offender of puns when you least expected them. I think it was just his coping mechanism after retiring. Eri took after him in that department only, so it’s stuck with me forever. No escaping it._

A human hand extends out of a toilet! What would you do?

_Funny story, now that you mention it. That did happen once. Setsuna left her hand in the office bathroom as a prank, I think. Might have been an advancement she meant for Tetsu. Anyways, found that just floating there in the bowl right above the water when I went in. Not a single other person in the restroom other than me, so no one was around to question what or why. I just kinda slowly shut the lid and walked out of the restroom entirely. Nearly flushed her hand, I don’t think she would have liked that. She can regrow them but that doesn’t mean the process of losing them is any fun._

You win a lottery! What do you do with the money?

_I actually gave away my first lottery win to my mom. I did not need the money as much as she did. My job pays enough for me and I owed her that and then some for everything she’s done for me. I’d do it again in a heartbeat._

A friend brought over something you'd forgotten. How do you thank your friend?

_I left my uniform at Shoto’s place once, after a long day from work and crashing at his place for the night. Accidentally borrowed his clothing and left his apartment half-awake until he approached me with my costume in a bag. We were still on the street too, so I had to act like it was not him giving me back my clothing in front of a crowd of people who recognized us outside of our uniforms. Gossip like that isn’t something we need the public to spin around._

Are there many things that you like to do?

_Not really? I don’t get or take a lot of downtime from work. Being on the clock or relaxing at home are really the most of my schedule. My friends try to take me out for games and parties but I don’t last long at them._

Do you feel lonesome when you are alone?

_No. One For All basically makes it that I’m never alone, and even under that technicality just watching the news and hearing what people think about me just gets to me in the best of ways. It always makes me happy to hear people feel happy because of me._

Are you a cheerful personality?

_I would think so. My job kinda requires that I be but I’ve always aimed to be an optimist. To smile and inspire and be open to people if they want to approach me, talk to me, spend a minute sharing stories about ourselves._

Do you like to fight?

_I always fight but I don’t like to. It’s my job to fight people into submission if I have to but I never want to. It’s effective but I have words I want to use to calm people down, to reason with them out of situations and combat. I think it sends a better message that way._

When the going gets tough, do you get going?

_Never. I can’t remember a time in my life where it hasn’t been hard. It’s always been this way. I can’t afford to back down and out, to give up before I really get to try. Too many people have put their faith in me to be strong and I want to be strong. I can’t lose that._

A delinquent is hassling someone on a busy city street! What will you do?

_Help without hesitation. Simple as that. I became a hero to help people when they need it. I can’t wait for the right moment to jump in because the instant it starts it could already be too late, no matter how small an outburst. I should be there to have their back and help them any way they need help._

Are you a boy or a girl?

_Uh, boy. Least I should be. It’s what I remember being._

Alright then, give me a moment to put your answers together.

The tune and hums soften around him.

You seem to be...

The Sassy Type!

_...Really?_

Or at least somewhat sassy!

_Okay that makes more sense._

You don't like taking orders. You're a little rebellious and like to disagree. You're a lone wolf! You like to keep your distance from groups and go off to do things on your own.

_Well I mean it isn’t intentional. I usually do my work alone because I am just that fast, and my rebellious streak didn’t always do me good. I’m trying to reign myself in now that we’ve fixed the system and hopefully for the better. I just need to make sure I’m working with it._

Older folks may be ones who find you the most disagreeable, even selfish. But people younger than you tend to really admire you!

_Wow, right on both accounts. My senseis still give me flak for the things I do just at the snap of my fingers, but in the end it at least leaves a smile on the kids’ faces. It matters a lot that I keep making those smiles._

So, a sassy type like you will be a Riolu!

_Yeah....wait, I’m sorry?_

Ok! We’re all set.

_No, no, I think we skipped a few things. What am I missing? What are you talking about? A Riolu?_

Let’s get you into the world of Pokémon!

_Pokémon?! Wait, no, that’s not right, hold on. Wait! WAIT!_


	2. Chapter 1: Riolu Midoriya: Origin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give so much credit to Gotsh0cks for looking this over and providing several edits and pointers to fix this chapter up for the better. God's work, I tell you.  
> For the story itself, I credit Yesmas1020 and Xylveon for their MHA/PKMN crossover fics that got me invested in merging the two worlds to begin with. Playing with these things is honestly a joy in and of itself. It takes time to finalize decisions on which character becomes which Pokemon best.  
> My blessings to all three of you.

Izuku Midoriya cursed his own existence. Why did misfortune have to befall him? What did he ever do to deserve being treated as a lesser? It wasn’t his fault he was born a Riolu without egg moves. It wasn’t like his parents tried to breed a fighter; they just wanted to have a kid!

The world of Pokémon was a real beauty, Izuku couldn’t deny that. For as long as Pokémon had lived on their Earth, time and time again showed just how little of it they really knew. For every dungeon explored, three more came to light. For every island found, geographical maps and historical data and even biological data had to be updated and distributed around the connected world. They were lucky to have advanced their technology over the past four hundred years to create airplanes and motorized vehicles to transport fellow Pokémon and information.

The age Izuku got to grow up in was by far the best in history so far. He had heard the stories of the days before modern technology when families of Wailords were rented out by adventure teams for long-distance sea travel, and air travel could take days to get from one end to another of a single region. The modern-day was faring far better in its advancements, and they were basically all available at Izuku’s disposal.

A shame he may never learn how to use them.

* * *

“Bye mom! I’ll see you after school!” Izuku called out over his shoulder, throwing his yellow satchel over the other.

“Be safe Izuku! Have a good day!” his mother called back from down the hall.

“Will do!”

Izuku bolted out the door of their shack and down their street in the next minute, bobbing and weaving through the crowd of other Pokémon in their own morning travels and duties. The crowds only grew as he left behind his more rural neighborhood to run through the bigger city, the two seemingly blending together as the houses grew in size and the buildings switched from earthly to manufactured materials. Even with a goal in mind, it wasn’t long before a cloud of dust was kicked into the air and, on instinct, Izuku ran off after it, eager to see the cause.

There was a crowd formed already as he reached the roars and the crashes, and once he rounded the corner he could see the cause of the dilemma: a giant Gabite with a red ring of clouds over its head. It was a symbol of Dynamaxing, Izuku recognized, but it just as easily gave away that the Gabite wasn’t a normal civilian. Added atop the damage he was doing to the train tracks raised above the streets, Dynamaxing was a government-regulated transformation. At least it was supposed to be.

The Cave Pokémon roared and reared its head around, and Izuku could see why from the smaller Pokémon that was darting around its body and lashing at them with its branches. It wasn’t until Izuku caught sight of the Trevenant’s blue bandana that he recognized who the Pokémon was.

“Oh my Mew, it’s Kamui Woods!” he gushed, pushing his way through the legs of the crowd to dart his way forward. His paws darted through his satchel, digging out a notebook and pen by the time he reached the front of the crowd. “He’s still a new hero. I need to write this stuff down.”

He quickly jotted down the speed at which the hero was able to move and dodge the Gabite’s brutal swings and razor claws. Trevenant weren’t known for their speed but Kamui Woods was a hero who reveled in his mobility in battle, launching from platform to platform using his well-timed **Horn Leeches** as springboards.

A poorly timed swing of Gabite’s claws landed short of connecting with Kamui’s retreating form, but the giant Pokémon managed to swipe down the arm of a crane, sending it careening towards the street and still-evacuating civilians below. A Pinsir just running out the door of her office building in the middle of its evacuation found herself right in the way of the beam’s drop zone, not noticing the shadow it cast over her.

Before anyone in the crowd could call out to her, before Izuku could shout for her to watch out, a second shadow had taken over the Stag Beetle Pokémon. She fell between a pair of legs planted in the pavement and the steel beam stopped short of collapsing on her, caught in a quad of hands.

Izuku gushed again, eyes sparkling as a Machamp wearing golden wristbands heaved the beam out into the empty street and carried the Pinsir to the crowd of civilians alongside the Riolu. “Death Arms is here too?! How did I not see him sooner? Two heroes ranked in the top thirty so close by? What are the odds?!”

“You're really rambling there, kid,” a gruff voice huffed from beside him. The Granbull crossed his arms and bared his fangs in a grin. “I take it you’re a hero fanboy?”

The Emanation Pokémon grimaced and rubbed his paws together. “Eh, no,” Izuku meekly answered. He wanted to be a hero, not just a fanboy.

“BACK OFF!” The roaring voice of the giant Gabite shook Izuku and the crowd to the fight at hand, as the Dynamaxed ‘mon swung his fin again only to meet air. Kamui Woods landed atop the awning over the track, the branches that made his hand bursting out and expanding to his side like a web of wood.

“Illegal use of Wishing Stars,” the Elder Tree Pokémon grumbled, “causing a ruckus during rush hour, petty theft and assault? You’re the lowest of evil. Face your punishment.” Kamui’s hand shot out in front of him, the roots of his fingers activating in the **Ingrain** move. “Lacquered Chain Prison—”

“Canyon Cannon!” Before the roots of Kamui’s attack could bind the Gabite, a foot the size of the Cave Pokémon’s face came soaring in and clocking the ground shark in the jaw. The Dynamaxed Gabite fell onto the empty street below, and following him landed an even taller Dynamaxed Blaziken. The two shrunk down simultaneously, the Gabite unconscious on his belly and the Blaziken pulling his arms behind him.

“Pleased to meet you all,” the Blaze Pokémon cooed to the crowd, smiling and standing upright as the cameramen and civilians flashed photos of the heroine. “You can call me Mt. Lady! I’m happy you all made it to my debut.”

Izuku took little note of the police binding Gabite and taking him away with Mt. Lady by his side, or of Kamui Woods sulking atop the railway station, as he jotted down notes in his book. “A hero granted permission to use Dynamaxing? The government usually limits Wishing Stars for rescue teams and explorers, with all the free space of the wild areas and surface dungeons, so she would have to have shown exceptional control not to damage the surrounding cities and public services. A Blaziken’s normal height limit when Dynamaxed is just over twenty-one meters, so for a hero to operate within city limits and not cause unwanted damage or concern could easily be slim...”

“Taking notes?” the same Granbull laughed and gave the Riolu boy a raised thumb. “I guess you want to be a hero yourself! Good luck with that, little guy! You’ll get into a university with spirit like that once you’re old enough!”

Izuku gave the gentlemon a smile, though it pained him to do so. “T-thank you. I’ll try my best.” He ignored the looks of the rest of the crowd as he pocketed his notebook and pen, taking off from the scene. He still had school to attend, and he couldn’t afford to be late. Not if he wanted to join the academies next year.

* * *

The age before the machines was a time filled only with adventure and exploration. Rescue teams and adventure teams were the heartiest of professions among villages all over the world. Homes and domes and bases were built by hand; stories were told and shared only with those living nearby, retold in writing and distributed only to the closest towns; laws were made only accounting for the one hundred or so ‘mons who lived in each village. The world as a whole was but infinite in everyone’s eye, and it was everyone’s dream to map it out.

Then the world advanced. Metal and ore were hoarded, tampered with, and crafted and year after year something new was made. Housing was improved. The average lifestyle was improved. Transportation was improved. Flight for all was discovered; sailing for all was discovered; learning for all was discovered. Within the first two centuries, books and maps could be mass-produced and used to teach each new generation of the world they were entering at a faster rate.

Sadly, alongside each and every improvement to the lives of Pokémon came those who tried to exploit it. Thieves targeted the new and hot items and advancements on the market to trade-off for a higher bargain. Dungeon ‘mons attempted time and time again to run people out of their own homes and demand a lifestyle of comfort they could not afford out in their wild. And it was quite the hassle to combat the wilder Pokémon when most teams traveled away from their towns to conduct business. Thus, a new profession was made and legalized to combat the rise of concern and safety to match the staggering growth of lifestyle: heroism.

Pokémon from rescue teams, adventure teams, and even solo explorers were sought for the job of protecting their home towns, and even the townspeople themselves had volunteered for the position of a hero. An average of ten heroes were employed across the globe in every individual town. Messages spread like wildfire from region to region about the profession, but that number rose higher and higher as time went on. As a mascot to the ever-growing industrial revolution, heroes grew as icons themselves, soon becoming the poster boys and girls for developing cities. Adventure team and rescue teams continued their works and continued to develop, but heroes and heroines had worked their way into the hearts of the public as nearly every kid’s dream.

It was Izuku’s dream ever since he first saw All-Might, the Japan region’s current number one hero. The chance to be a hero, to be someone who saved the Pokémon of Musutafu Town and the ever-expanding region of Japan had seeped its way into his heart and became his passion.

The only problem was, at the age of seventeen, attending his last year in high school, he was still an unevolved Riolu.

* * *

“You kids are all third years now, right on the cusp of adulthood!” their teacher shouted, slapping his hands on his desk and rattling the stack of papers between them. “It’s time to be thinking seriously about your futures! I would hand out your future career forums for one final clearance, but after reading them all” —the Hitmonlee threw his papers into the air, scattering them around the front of the classroom — “I know you all want to be heroes!”

Izuku sulked in his seat as the class around him shouted their cheers, nearly each and every one of them activating a move of their own to showcase. It was easy to shrink under the sea of special attacks and field moves they blasted into the air.

“Yes, yes, you all know wonderful moves,” their teacher tried to talk the class down, “but you know it’s against the rules to use them in class! Settle down, all of you!” Izuku couldn’t say he much liked their teacher’s lazy attitude; it wasn’t a natural fit for the Kicking Pokémon’s species.

“Don’t go lumping me with these weaklings, sensei.” A small plume of smoke shot into the air from the mouth of the orange-and-yellow colored Pokémon kicking his feet on his own desk. “They don’t hold a candle to my power. As if they ever could.”

The class erupted into hisses and jeers towards the Spitfire Pokémon. “Get over yourself Bakugou!” one Swellow barked at him. “You’re not that great!”

“Shut up! You extras should stick to acting like extras!”

Izuku tried to shrink under the crowd of his classmates hassling Bakugou as the Magmar only spat insults back at them. The boy’s move set was only matched by his attitude and reflected in his vocabulary. Given most fire attacks a Magmar could generate were released from their cone of a mouth, Bakugou had grown a tongue to spit words with the same intensity of his mother’s firepower.

The teacher’s arms bounded over the desk, picking up one of the fallen career papers and taking a look over it. “Ah, Bakugou,” he announced over his students’ voices, “it seems you are applying to U.A. University.”

His words alone shifted the attitude of the room, jerking back nearly every student in surprise and into a storm of whispers. “The national academy?” one hazy-purple serpent with a blade for a tail hissed. “Isn’t that school near impossible to get to?”

“I hear they barely accept anyone,” another leafy figure with flowers for hands muttered. “The school’s cutoff score in the tests is just over eighty.”

Bakugou smirked and relished in their talk, bouncing off his seat and stomping on his desk. “Ah, the chattering of stupid extras! I aced U.A.’s mock exam already! I’m the only one in these boonies who has the strength to be at that school! I’ll surpass even All-Might and become the best hero there is! Leave those weak adventurers and you lot in the dust!”

“Ah,” the teacher continued, picking up another paper and breezing over Bakugou’s outburst, “you’re thinking of applying to U.A. as well, Midoriya?”

It was as though a **Sheer Cold** broke through the windows as the class’s chatter died down and everybody stopped moving. Izuku stayed huddled over his desk, peeking through his arms and watching as his classmates turned in their seats to stare down at the blue canine trying to hide his embarrassment from being outed. It didn’t work, especially as the majority of the class burst out in roaring laughter.

“Huh?! Midoriya? No way!” one green gecko pointed and laughed his way.

“Good grades alone aren’t gonna be enough to get you into the hero program, ya know!” another grey cylinder with floating, blocky arms mocked.

“Th-that’s not necessarily true!” Izuku had tried arguing back. “Sure, there’s no precedent, but—”

Sadly his defense was all for not, as a **Fire Punch** slammed down on his desk and sent embers and smoke flying in his face and himself flying back. “Come on Deku!” Bakugou shouted at him, shaking off the flames coating his fist. “Forget their weak firepower! You still haven’t evolved! Your best move set is locked behind an evolution you still can’t obtain! You barely know any moves as is! And you think you can rub shoulders with me?!”

The short Riolu threw his hands wildly as he scooted back across the floor. “Wait, no Kacchan!” he exclaimed as his back hit the wall. “I-I wasn’t saying I could compete with you at all! I mean it! It’s just... it’s been my dream since we were young and...there’s no harm in trying—”

Even playing it soft didn’t stop the Magmar from busting out at him. “Trying what?! The entrance exam? The hell are you going to do just ‘trying’ to get by not knowing any attack moves?! What can you even do?!”

Izuku whimpered under the glare of Bakugou and their classmates, each smiling and smirking obnoxiously his way. It hurt, still being one of the few Pokémon of the new generation not born with an egg move from their parents. It hurt more that his best moves were locked behind an evolution with the one requirement he’d probably never meet: friendship.

* * *

A green, bipedal bug with blades for arms walked out of a grocery store, a bag strung over his shoulder as one blade covered his mouth to cough. His other arm plucked a tissue from his bag, dabbing away at the small trickle of blood that oozed its way down his chin. He sighed, noticing a small drip had stained the white cloth he wore over his torso. He’d struggle to clean that out later.

A shrill cry rang out through the streets, and not a moment later did a gelatinous, multi-colored blob shoot around a corner and book it down the road. “Thief! Someone stop him!”

The Muk only smiled and gargled a laugh as he bounded over other Pokémon. “Catch me if you can!” he taunted behind him.

A pair of white mammals with red stripes cut across their bodies watched in front of the covered Scyther as the Muk made his way past them. “Someone’s bound to show up,” one of the Zangoose commented. “He’s only going to draw attention to himself.”

“This guy must have been inspired by the chaos this morning,” the other remarked. “Guess some Pokémon can’t help themselves from using their moves. It’s like we’re still living in dungeons.”

Neither the boys nor the crowd of other civilians around them noticed the small trails of smoke at their feet, rolling in from behind them. “There’s no end to them.”

“Yes there is,” a third voice boomed over them, starling the crowd and turning their attention behind them. The Muk heard it too, looking back over its gooey shoulder to see the towering Pokémon of red muscles staring his way, over the heads of the crowd. “Why, you ask? Because” — the Muk ran faster as the nearly eight-foot Pokémon leapt over the crowd his way — “I am here!!”

* * *

Izuku kept quiet and to himself for the rest of the school day. His classmates had left him alone after that short burst of heckling, per their teacher’s request, and Izuku brushed it aside and continued classes like normal. Scenes like that weren’t anything new for Izuku, not for the past thirteen years. He had learned to live with the jeers and move on.

Luckily enough for him, the railway incident from that morning was fully reported and all online through different news sites. It would give him the material he needed for his notes, just to make sure his observations that morning watching the fight were in order and correct. Homework wouldn’t take him too long to finish, so he’d have a good portion of the afternoon to jot down the information—

“We ain’t done here, Deku.” The Riolu was ripped out of his musing as Bakugou towered over him - even in his chair - and ripped his notebook from his grasp.

“Ah! Kacchan!” Izuku had tried to grab his notebook back but the nearly double height difference between him and Katsuki didn’t make it easy.

The Dusclops and Grovyle of the class stepped behind their Spitfire Pokémon classmate. “What’s that Katsuki?” The Dusclops had asked.

The Wood Gecko Pokémon leaned forward, squinting at the small book before barking a laugh. “‘Hero Notes for the Future?’ Seriously? This guy, Midoriya...”

Said Riolu ignored their quips and tried to jump for his notebook again. “C-come on. Give it back!”

Bakugou only glared down at him before puckering his lips and blowing a plume of fire over his book, charring the cover and singing the papers beneath. To Izuku’s dismayed look, he only frowned and tossed the book out an open window.

“The best heroes out there showed signs of greatness back when they were students,” he ranted, shouldering Izuku’s broken expression. “I’ll be the only kid from this crappy high school to become one. I’ll be the best one in this shitty rural town’s history. The first to win the honor of becoming a student at U.A. University. Guess I’m just a perfectionist.” His frown flicked up into a sinister smirk following his goading before he stepped forward and leaned down to Izuku’s level, puffing a cloud of smoke in the shorter boy’s face.

“In other words, don’t you dare get into U.A., nerd!”

There was a silent threat behind his words, Izuku could hear it. The taller boy was usually straightforward with his actions. The knowledge of the unspoken left Izuku quaking where he stood, even as Bakugou backed off and headed out with his goonies behind him. His ears muffled the world around him, all except the Magmar as he paused by the door.

“You want to be a hero so bad?” he questioned over his shoulder. “I’ve got a time-saving idea for you.”

Izuku saw it as Bakugou turned around. As the flames that decorated the top of his head plumed out into a blond spiky ball of hair. As his mouth shrunk back to the rest of his face and his nose outdented just a little. As the black markings of his collar sharpened until his skin was pale and the black was a vest on his body. “ _If you think you’ll have a quirk in the next life, go take a swan dive off the roof!_ ”

Izuku blinked and the image was gone. Bakugou was still a Magmar across the room from him, not some weird pale creature that reminded him of a misshapen Medicham. “What?” he whispered. Terror drained from his blood as his mind ran to catch what he had heard. _A quirk_?

“The fuck you ‘what’-ing me for?” Bakugou shouted back at him and puffed a cloud of flames. “I said if you want to be a hero so bad, might as well jump off the roof and hope your parents breed better next time. The hell’s so hard to understand about that?”

Hearing that didn’t help Izuku feel any better. He whimpered to himself as the boys left him alone in the classroom, only leaving a minute later when he remembered what happened to his notebook, chasing down a different flight of stairs to go searching for it outside.

What he found was his book floating in the school pond, the parchment paper being circled by the few white fish that lived in it.

“This yours kid?” one of the Wishiwashi asked as Izuku plucked his book from the water. “I don’t remember paper being made to get wet.”

“It’s not like I wanted it to,” the Riolu grumbled.

“That says hero, right?” another Wishiwashi voiced their question. “Are you studying to become one? Best of luck, kid. Give it a few more years when you grow up and you’ll be able to apply for those hero academies!”

Both fish could feel the aura of the air turn sour as the Riolu turned away, the crispy and soaked book clutched in his paws. “I’m already seventeen,” he had muttered before stomping off, not bothering to acknowledge either of the Small Fry Pokémons’ apologies.

* * *

Adventure and rescue teams did not die as Heroism took the front page of the news and became the new dream of the youth; the three professions simply merged together, keeping the old practitioners afloat and aiding the new into standing on their own two feet. Many teams were formed completely out of heroes and no explorers, and others a mix between the two passions. For all young Pokémon growing up, there was no wrong option if they chose the route of hero or adventurer.

But entering the profession meant being taught in the highest level of general education in the new world: college. Those who chose to pursue those careers wouldn’t just study what to do in a classroom but would be given permission to experience the lifestyle first-hand, out in the field and trudging through dungeons. That required them to be of age, according to the highest form of law, so young Pokémon were forced to wait until they had lived to the bridge of adulthood - either eighteen years of age or within a year’s time of becoming such. It left them plenty of time to train and study and prepare beforehand for colleges that would employ them and push them into the fray at the same time. Two Pidove with one **Rock Throw** , as the old saying went.

By far the world’s most outstanding hero, however, came in the form of one strange Pokémon no one had ever seen before: a towering red-and-black Pokémon that went by the code name All-Might. He told the world he was a Buzzwole, the only one of his species throughout the Pokémon world. Where he had come from was unknown, be it a dungeon in the unexplored depths of the land or being a city-born ‘mon; his only tie to the world was that he had studied until the tutelage of U.A. University, though no documents showed photos of the ‘mon’s attendance. The only thing the school had was his hero name in their list of graduates over two decades ago, something the dean of the college was adamant to approve and back the hero’s claims.

With his individuality and the strength behind his muscles, All-Might had overtaken the hero landscape single-handedly. He was the poster boy for modern heroism, a constant traveler of the world to share his stories and philosophies while offering his aid to adventure and rescue teams for the direst of reported cases that could reach him. Rumors and stories circulated that he had held back legendary Pokémon in combat, creatures of mythological scale in the oldest, ancient records of the planet’s history; some said he had gone so far as to fight the gods of the sea, the earth, and the sky one after another in the same week, illustrations depicting the hero against Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza in their last recorded descriptions. All-Might never supported the claims, but he never went on to deny them either.

To be a hero like him was a fever dream for every kid growing up around the world. To be like him was Izuku’s dream the moment he found artwork of All-Might rescuing the entirety of Lavaridge Town from the eruption of Mt. Chimney.

It was a dream effectively impossible for a Riolu like Izuku, a harsh reality he had to face for years.

Being born without an egg move to give him a head start like all his peers, learning next to no attacking moves growing up and being isolated by his classmates as to prevent him from evolving, getting into U.A. would be nigh impossible for him. He’d never be a hero simply knowing only **Endure** and **Counter**.

He was a shame to his family, the way he was. His father was an explorer, having sailed the high seas knowing the risk of the journey and taking to investigate the regions of Kanto and Johto conjoined at the hip. His mother was a Lucario, exactly like Izuku himself wanted to be. She used her aura powers minutely, only ever pulling stuff her way or to help her organize and she almost only knew defensive and status-based moves. He was never going to be like them.

* * *

Izuku shook his thoughts from his head. He had pushed past his problems in his heart long ago. If the world was constantly trying to get in his way, then all he had to do was stare it down and keep trudging forward. He decided before he didn’t care what anybody had to say about him. His path was his own to forge.

He didn’t hear the sewer grate rattle behind him as he entered a paved tunnel under the road. He didn’t hear the bubbling or gurgling of the mountain of ooze rising behind him. But he did breathe in the putrid smell and hear the voice say, “A young body...to hide in...”

The Alolan Muk pounced on him before he could fully turn around, trapping the young Riolu in his sludge and forcing his body into the boy’s mouth. Izuku panicked, pawing at the slime in a frenzy and failing to pull anything out. _A hostile Pokémon in the middle of the city?!_

“Don’t worry!” the Muk cackled at the boy. “I just need a quick way to hide! **Minimizing** in your body is the perfect escape plan! If you do as I say then I’ll keep from actually poisoning you!” His words only made Izuku freak out and wail more.

“You’re a real hero, ya know that?” The Sludge’s Pokémon’s voice was grating on Izuku’s ears, his mock praise only breaking his heart further. Even as the Muk began to shrink the glare was ever-present in his eyes. “I never thought _he’d_ show up in a town like this!”

 _I...can’t breathe_. Izuku’s paws dug into the Muk’s body, going limp with the rest of his body as the stench became too much to bear. _I...am I dying? No...no, I can’t die. Please_. His knees buckled beneath him and the bag over his shoulder felt like it weighed a ton. _Please I need to be a hero. I can’t...not now. Someone...save me...please..._

“Feat not kid!”

A silver disk went flying through the air, and Izuku’s watering eyes followed the trail of dust it left to the blurry, giant body at the end of the tunnel. He could hear the Muk still crushing him shout something in surprise, but all Izuku registered was the big red bug rearing its fist back.

“I am here! **Mega Punch**!”

A giant fist swung past Izuku, and with it he could feel the Muk slide right up his throat and rip out his mouth. The young Riolu barely had time to take in a gasp of air as his gaze hazed and his body fell sideways.

_All...Might?_

* * *

“...id! Hey, kid! Can you hear me?” Izuku’s hearing returned slowly, the world growing louder as his senses came back to him. Only stronger was the repetitive tapping on his cheek. “Are you going to be alright? Ah, it’s a shame I can’t learn **Wake-Up Slap**.”

It didn’t take long for the hand patting his cheek to extend down the arm and reveal the giant red-and-black bug ‘mon standing over him, a silver proboscis nearly poking him in the nose. Izuku blinked a moment to fully adjust his eyesight on the Pokémon as he placed his fists on his hips, the white cloth around his shoulders and neck swaying in the wind. “Thank goodness! You’re awake!”

Izuku let out a scream as he crawled back across the ground and put distance between him and the reportedly only Buzzwole in existence. “A-A-All-Might?!”

“Apologies for getting you caught up in my hunt for that wild assaulter.” The Swollen Pokémon cupped his hand at the base of his antenna and bowed his head. “It’s been too long since I’ve returned to Japan! I got lost on the streets for a moment before being floored by the layout plan of the sewers! Almost knocked around a family of Garbodor by accident down there.

“And though I would have rather gone without you being caught and assaulted like that, I do have to thank you in part for this villain’s capture!” All-Might raised in his hands two glass jars, both carrying just a part of multi-colored sludge and small white rocks. “I am proud of how long you were able to hold out and keep him at bay for me to catch up and apprehend him! An excellent control of your gag reflex!—I think that’s how that works...”

Izuku could barely hear the hero rant on his exclamations, the Emanation Pokémon lost in a swirl of his own thoughts. _Oh my god! It’s All-Might, here in the flesh! He’s far bigger up close than he is on T.V.!_ “Ah! Autograph!” Izuku threw his body around until he was able to dig into his satchel, yanking out his notebook and turning to what he had remembered was an empty double-page spread. “He already did it!” Instead of that, though, sprawled out across the paper was the number one hero’s signature and hero name with a little drawing of the ‘mon’s head with his antennas in a big V symbol.

Izuku was quick to jump to his feet and bow at the hip to the hero. “Thank you so much! This is a treasure! I’ll treat it as a family heirloom!”

Though the hero had no visible mouth, he was still capable of giving the Riolu a hearty thumbs up. “Now I must bring this fellow to the authorities! Magnezone would appreciate a direct delivery!” With that, All-Might turned around and crouched where he stood. “You can catch me again on T.V.!”

It was then that Izuku came down from his high. “W-wait! You’re leaving already?...”

“A hero battles not only enemies but time itself,” the Buzzwole replied. “Until next time, thanks for your support!” He launched himself from the ground before he even finished his sentence, leaving small dents in the ground where his legs had been and leaving behind a now-empty street. He was soaring through the air with the jars of the Muk tucked away in his plastic bag.

And holding onto his leg was Izuku screaming for his life.

* * *

“Of all the...” All-Might sighed, looking over the city from the building roof he had landed on. The Riolu that had grabbed him was further back on the same roof, hunched over and wheezing with a glazed stare in his eyes. “Hopefully the Pokémon downstairs will help you get down. But I’ve got no time!” He could feel his muscles shiver, the liquid inside his arms’ bulges bubble away.

Izuku coughed into the back of his paw at his idol’s words, struggling and pushing himself to his feet. “W-wait, please...!”

“No, I cannot wait!—”

“If I don’t evolve, can I still be a hero?!”

All-Might paused before he could leap, his hands gripping the railing of the roof’s fence.

“Can someone as basic as me be a hero like you?”

 _A Riolu as a hero?_ All-Might peeked back over his shoulder. “Evolution is—” His speech was cut short as his body shook and steam plumed from his muscles. _Damn it all, not now!_

Izuku was clutching the strap of his bag, head bowed down as he glared at the floor. “I haven’t been able to evolve, and I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon...” His paws overlapped and pressed together. “And I’ve been picked on because of it...I-I think that’s why someone as unique as you being a hero is so cool...because you might have gone through it too...”

He didn’t see the steam as he talked, or the silhouette behind it shrunk in size.

“To be a hero despite not being anyone else...being great even though no one knows who you are... I want to be a great hero, just like you!—”

It wasn’t until Izuku looked up that he noticed something off, as the cloud of smoke before him parted and in the place where All-Might once stood was now a lanky Scyther with a white cloth draped over his torso. The Riolu took only a second to blink before he screamed out in fear.

“You’re all shriveled up!” he shouted, pointing at the Scyther standing where the Buzzwole had been. “Wh-Are you an imposter?! A fake?! Are you a Ditto?! Where’s the real All-Might?!”

The Scyther blinked at him before opening his mouth, a pool of blood spilling as he spoke, “I am All-Might.”

“No way!!”

“You know how some Pokémon use **Bulk Up** in battle?” the lanky Mantis Pokémon continued, pointing up one of his blade hands. “It’s like that.” Izuku only repeated his shout.

The Mantis Pokémon crouched and fell back against the railing as he sat down. “Not being like anyone else...isn’t exactly how I would describe myself. This is the real me, kid. Just another Scyther. Don’t go writing about this, okay?”

Izuku was still too stunned to move, shaking violently where he stood. This was All-Might? A Scyther with the ability to transform into a whole new Pokémon? How was that possible? Scizor was supposed to be their only evolution.

The green bug sighed and shifted a blade under his cloth. “Showed you this, might as well show you something else too.” He lifted the two together and Izuku reeled back at the sight underneath. Where the bulbous torso of the Scyther was, cracks and scars decorated his body right below the shoulder in the shape of a web. The thinner waist that connected his upper body to his legs continued the pattern. How they were still connected was something Izuku couldn’t begin to guess.

“Five years ago, an enemy did this to me,” All-Might told Izuku, looking to the young canine as he spoke. “My respiratory system was nearly destroyed and my stomach had to be removed. I actually used to be a Scizor before in my prime. The energy it took to recover and continue working as a hero was enough to stunt and reverse my evolution, would you believe. I can only be a hero for about three hours a day now.”

“Five years ago,” Izuku drawled as his brain caught up to his ears. “The fight with Toxic Blade did that to you?”

“That lowlife Toxicroak?” the hero responded. “He could never do this to me. You’ve really done your homework to know about him. No, this was from a fight that never went public. It’s one I asked not to be. Pokémon saw this, and it’s safe to say there would be quite a panic to see how weakened I am.

“Without this power, I would be nothing. I’m incapable of fighting in my weakened state, and even if I was healed I was never any good going about as a Scyther. Even as a Scizor I struggled, but far less than when I started like this.” His gaze stayed sharp on Izuku, reminding the boy of the **Mean Look** he knew the hero’s species was incapable of learning. “Could someone be a hero without tapping into the full magnitude of their strength, without evolving in this age? Sorry to say, but I don’t believe it’s possible.”

It must have been **Leer** the ‘mon was using, as Izuku’s body shook once at the hero’s answer. “If you desire to chase that field of work,” All-Might continued, brushing aside the boy’s vacant stare, “you can still pursue the life of an adventurer or an explorer. They’re focused far more on the beauty and freedom travel instead of pure combat, so you’ll be far safer with that job. Or if you can evolve in these next few years and wait until you’re old enough, you can try to apply for heroics then. You’re still a Riolu; you should have plenty of time to tap into the power reserves of your species.”

Izuku could barely feel the flat of the blade pat his shoulder before All-Might turned away and pushed open the roof-access door. “It’s not wrong to dream, kid,” the hero left his parting words over his shoulder, “but you need to be realistic.” The creaking of the closing door was the only sound left on the rooftop, Izuku alone frozen in place near unable to breathe.

 _I...I told myself I wouldn’t let other people’s words get to me_. His paws dropped to his side, hanging clenched at his hips. _I told myself I only needed myself for this. I could work for this future._

An explosion in the distance rattled him, making him aware of the pluming cloud of smoke deeper in the city. He was aware how alone he was outside, Corvinight and Braviary flying by probably going home from work. He should probably do the same.

 _I want to be a hero_. He whimpered as he followed through the door All-Might had disappeared through, not a trace left he was ever around. _But if All-Might thinks I can’t be, then what’s the point?_

* * *

The walk through the streets was maybe too quiet for Izuku. Not a single other Pokémon was out and about nearby, the closest one he could see being a Golurk several blocks away and walking in the other direction. The silence did leave him with his thoughts, however, as downward spiraling as they were.

What was he expecting All-Might to say to him, a Riolu nowhere near close to evolving, having learned no attacking moves growing up and still trying to be a hero a year away from applying to the school that would send him on the field within his first year of attendance? What else was the stronger hero and Pokémon in the whole world supposed to say to an idea so preposterous and risky that put Izuku life at risk with so little a means to defend himself? All-Might was right; he had to think realistically. He’d been so blind to the truth, hadn’t he?

Izuku’s paws glided along the charred and wrinkled edges of his notebook, gingerly opening the cover to find the first page smeared and incomprehensible, the drawing he made of All-Might completely ruined from the pond water and flames. The tears he was building up only went to ruin it further. He wiped them away, sniffling back any more that tried to form.

He had tried to push past it, the truth of his reality. That he was unfit for the life he wanted, that it would forever and always be a dream out of his reach. There hadn’t been an unevolved Pokémon employed as a hero since they first became a thing. The chances of him changing that truth without an egg move since birth and never being taught an attack move growing up at home were slim to none. And how was he, a kid with no friends and whose evolution restriction was through strong friendship, supposed to evolve within a year and make up for lost time?

Rumbling drew Izuku back to the present, and to the crowd across the street watching in awe as smoke and fire continued to plume past them. This was the site of the large explosion he had seen earlier, wasn’t it? Why had he come all this way here? Home wasn’t in its direction. He had just gone on instinct, hadn’t he? A child excited to see heroes in action yet again. Guess he had yet to drain that from his subconscious, he chided himself.

 _This won’t make me feel any better_. He grumbled, crossing the street to sulk behind the crowd. _Watching the heroes isn’t going to do anything for me. I’m only going to feel worse about myself. I shouldn’t bother them or myself like this_ —

Once he was close enough, he was able to see through the open spaces between the other Pokémon to see the source of the fire and explosion, and he was rewarded with a familiar sight. _The Alolan Muk from earlier?!_ He screamed in his head, clutching his notebook to his chest. _That can’t be the same one from earlier, can it? They’re foreigners here, but All-Might captured the other one, didn’t he?_

Dread bubbled in his stomach and he clasped a paw over his muzzle. _Did...did he break out? He got loose again? All-Might never would have let him go willingly; did...I cause this?_

“Why are the heroes just standing there?” one Swampert in front of him questioned out loud, drawing back the attention of a Mienshao.

“Seems like he grabbed someone,” the Martial Arts Pokémon responded. “Heroes can’t get too close without harming them too.”

 _Someone else is enduring that?!_ The Riolu’s mind replayed back when the Muk was trying to hide down his throat. _How long has it been?!_

“Wait, that Muk...wasn’t that the ‘mon All-Might was chasing earlier?” a Charmeleon had asked aloud, perking Izuku’s ears and spurring the crowd around them.

“No way! All-Might?! He’s really here?!”

“Yeah, I saw him earlier chasing the guy down the road.”

“Then what’s All-Might doing now? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”

“He has to be! All-Might’s going to save them, no doubt!”

Izuku could taste the bile in this throat. All-Might wasn’t going to come, was he? The hero told him he could only work three hours a day right after he had forcefully transformed. He had no strength to continue, did he? There was Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady all on the scene but not a single one was getting close to the Muk in the middle of the chaos. All-Might couldn’t do better in his state now, all because Izuku had taken what little time he had to ask him a question that didn’t matter. This was his fault.

 _I’m sorry_ , he cried in his head, peeking through his paws and tears and the crowd before him and the sludge shrunk more and more. _Just hold out, please. Someone’s going to save you. A hero’s going to save you, I know they will. Just please hang in there_ —

There wasn’t a lot of overlap of species in towns and cities. Different families with some of the same species of Pokémon were highly uncommon, to the point that Izuku had yet to meet another Riolu like himself. According to his mother, their kind tended to venture in the wilderness more but having a son had left her the choice to hunker down in the more civilized towns than the open and unpredictable dungeons. Any time a species did appear in numbers, they were still together in a group if not directly related by family blood.

And watching the Muk before him break away and reveal the Pokémon underneath his form, Izuku knew there was only one Magmar in the whole town.

* * *

“Get back here you fool! Stop!”

Izuku had broken through the crowd and into a run before he realized what he himself was doing. He could hear the crowd behind him shout and cry out, and the heroes call out to him to stop. But he couldn’t stop if he wanted to. That was Bakugou being crushed and suffocated by the Muk forcing its way down his throat. How the Sludge Pokémon wasn’t boiling inside Bakugou’s mouth was only more worrying. So was seeing its eyes catch sight of the approaching Riolu.

“You again, brat!” the Muk screamed. “Back already? Consider yourself dead!” The Sludge Pokémon’s body morphed as it grew out and hurled a thick tendril Izuku’s way to **Pound** him into the ground.

But the hit never connected. Izuku’s body was burning, both from the heat outside and around him and something from within. Before the Muk’s attack could connect, the Riolu had already run past the swinging arm of sludge and in a blinding light closed the gap between them.

“Kacchan!” With a scream, Izuku collided with his classmate’s gut, forcing another batch of flames to sparkle from Bakugou’s mouth and push more of the Muk’s body out of his until he had hurled him out completely. The two boys went tumbling along the ground, away from the crazed Pokémon forming himself back together and turning their way.

“Deku” — Bakugou coughed violently between his sharp inhales for air — “what the hell was that?! The hell you run into my stomach for?!”

Izuku was struggling on the ground, the white glow around his body fully faded and himself near out of energy as he tried to pick himself up. “I-I’m sorry, my...my legs moved on their own,” he wheezed out. “It’s just” — the Muk roared in anger and launched himself their way, his slimy body shadowing over the two boys before they could even begin to dodge — “you looked like you needed help.”

The attack he was waiting for never came. The weight of the Muk never fell upon him. Bakugou by his side stared wide-eyed in the direction he was coming from, and it took the sound of a deep grunt to turn Izuku’s head around to see for himself what had happened.

There, standing above him, with an arm raised to block the Muk’s body and take the brunt of the hit, was All-Might in his red-and-black buffed glory.

“The lesson I left you with” — the hero grunted and shifted his arms, pushing his ooze-covered arm forward and clenching the other behind him — “is something I should be practicing myself! I should be using the power that made me a hero, not idle while you risk your life!” His fist glowed a bright white, steam streaming into the air not even three seconds later. “That’s what a real hero does!”

The Muk tried to swing another attack, but the turning of the Buzzwole’s body only signified he was too late. “ **Focus Punch**!” The hero only threw one punch, but that punch was strong enough to rip through the Sludge Pokémon’s body, kick up a torrent of dirt and dust every which way and blow so high it parted the clouds directly above them. By the time the wind settled and the dust cleared, all that was left in the center was All-Might standing tall, the two young Pokémon locked beneath his legs to keep from blowing away, and the Muk a bubbling and unconscious blob slumped against a wall.

Izuku, in his dazed state, could barely hear the roaring cheers of the crowd around him. He could barely feel the hero above him shift and give him and Bakugou space to move and be attended to. But he saw the stare, the eyes of All-Might peeking back over the hero’s shoulder before he moved aside for the police and other heroes to start acting.

* * *

Izuku left the tattered remains of the alleyway with a slap on the wrist, in a sense. The Muk was detained and apprehended, the Magnezone Federal Officers trapping and carrying him away. The heroes stayed by shortly to deal with the mess and rubble for however well they could clean it up, and to give the Riolu a good scolding and the Magmar kind praise.

Izuku barely registered what they had shouted at him, telling him off for running in there and putting himself in harm’s way. He had bowed and apologized, sure, but their words only rang as hollow as those he’d heard before. The Emanation Pokémon was given the opportunity to leave and head home on his own not too long after, and he took the time to walk the route home. He was hoping to speak to All-Might again - leave the number one hero with an apology too - but the Buzzwole had left the scene long before the other heroes had scolded him. He could just write a letter and have Pelipper send it to the hero’s agency; it would probably be the closest he would get to the ‘mon.

The route home was cut short for the briefest of moments, however. “Deku!” The Riolu paused in his steps and turned around, Bakugou just a few yards away huffing like he had run an Olympic track. The Spitfire Pokémon continued to shout before Izuku could get in a word of his own, “I never asked you to save me! I could have gotten out of that Muk’s grasp just fine! I could have boiled him alive once he was fully in my mouth! I don’t need you to pity me. And I don’t need you trying to impress me either, ya got that?! Stay out of my way next time! Stupid nerd.” The Magmar had turned around and stomped away before he was even finished, Izuku only catching the tail end of his rant just barely as it was hissed out.

Izuku couldn’t stop the smile that sketched its way onto his face. It almost felt like an act, how tough Bakugou was trying to show himself as. But it was more than likely true that the young Riolu wasn’t needed on the scene at all. All-Might showed up in the end, still as powerful as ever for several minutes more than Izuku thought he could manage. He was glad, nonetheless, that Bakugou was okay in the end. Now all that was left for Izuku was to start planning on a more realistic future—

“I am here!”

Izuku nearly screamed out a lung as the bulky form of All-Might came sliding into frame, hands frozen and posed in a running stance. “A-All-Might?! What are you doing here?!”

“I was looking for you!” the hero announced. “It took me some time until you were discharged from the scene but I—” Without so much as a blink the hero was enveloped by a cloud of smoke and came stumbling out as a Scyther coughing blood into his body cloth. “Uh, excuse me. Still running on fumes here.

“Kid,” the hero sighed in his emaciated form, “I’ve come to thank you and revise what I had told you earlier. I also have a proposition, if you’re willing to listen. After listening to your story...had I moved on and forgotten it, I would have lived the rest of my days as nothing but fake muscles and insincerity! So thank you!”

“F-for what?” Izuku asked in disbelief. “It was my fault from the start. I got in your way and let the Muk loose again—”

“But it was you who acted to fight against him!” All-Might interrupted, jolting Izuku both with his volume and his words. “You, the timid and unevolved Riolu, who dashed onto the scene and even developed your own **Quick Attack** to save your friend! It was because of you I was able to jump in there at the end!

“Most heroes show signs of their greatness and their powers when they’re incredibly young,” he continued, each step he took closer muffled by the sound of Izuku’s heart beating faster and faster. “Many of them claim that their bodies simply moved before they could think! That’s what happened to you back there, yes?!”

Izuku could barely hear himself answer, “Yes,” as his legs gave way beneath him. He could hear All-Might’s voice follow him, hear the man’s words before he even spoke them. He couldn’t help himself from sprouting tears to full on bawling, paws clenched over his chest, before his idol’s feet as the Pokémon told him:

“You _can_ be a hero.

And I believe you are worthy of inheriting my power.”

Even with his nose so stuffy and runny, his eyes filled to the brim with tears and his throat clogged with hiccups and sobs, he looked up to the Scyther before him with disbelief. “Huh?”


End file.
